San Francisco is one of the Pacific Coast's most picturesque major cities, located on a stunning hilltop peninsula surrounded by the scenic San Francisco Bay. The diverse, liberal city is one of Northern California's cultural destinations, known for world-class attractions like the DeYoung Museum, the Fillmore Theater, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the War Memorial Opera House.
Visitors can travel across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge or take day tours out to the city's infamous Alcatraz Island, which was home to a notorious federal prison throughout much of the 20th century. Historic cable cars traverse the city's hilly streets and neighborhoods, which are home to some of the nation's top global cuisine dining destinations. More than 82,000 acres of the city's metropolitan region are protected as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the most-visited unit of the National Park system.